Review: We try Hilton WorkSpaces at Hilton London Bankside

This is our review of Hilton London Bankside – in particular, its Hilton WorkSpaces product.

We were due to check out Hilton Bankside last year, when Hilton Honors launched its new ‘WorkSpaces’ offer. Unfortunately covid got in the way and we were thrust into another national lockdown ….

Things have now returned to a semblance of normality and we thought we would return to Hilton Bankside to try out the innovate connected bedroom and meeting room facility they offer.

What is WorkSpaces?

WorkSpaces is Hilton’s day use room offer. Under the scheme you can book rooms with desks from 9am until 6pm to use in lieu of an office.

WorkSpaces bookings come with the following benefits:

• Quiet guest room with private bathroom
• Comfortable desk & chair
• Complimentary in room tea, coffee and bottled water
• Complimentary wifi
• Printing & photocopying upon request
• In room dining available
• F&B discount of 15% in restaurant
• Access to gym and pool
• Reservations qualify for Hilton Honors points

You can find out more about WorkSpaces on the Hilton website here.

Hilton Bankside has taken this a step further

Most Hilton properties offering day rooms are simply selling standard rooms which have decent sized desks. Rob reviewed such a day room at Hilton Hyde Park last year, and he did a number of such days across Hilton Olympia and Hilton Hyde Park. He paid as little as £30 per day and locked in his Diamond status until 2023 in the process!

Bankside has taken it a step further.

The hotel has taken groups of two interconnecting rooms and removed the bed from the 2nd bedroom. It has been replaced with a table and chairs.

You have a two-part set-up, with a bedroom / desk and a separate connected room which you can use to host a small meeting.

Hilton London Bankside location

The hotel is just round the corner from Tate Modern in what is otherwise a residential area of the south bank:

The Hilton Bankside website is here.

Not your average Hilton…

If you are expecting a slightly worn, boring business Hilton then you are in for a surprise. Hilton London Bankside is a surprisingly trendy new Hilton that opened in 2015.

The exterior doesn’t give much away:

…. but walk in and the first giveaway that this isn’t your average Hilton is the purple neon installation:

The lobby itself is fairly dark, but they’ve gone for a sort of industrial chic with lots of metalwork and lighting:

Rooms at Hilton London Bankside

I had a first floor king room with connecting meeting room, which is a special WorkSpaces offer at Hilton London Bankside.

As I explained above, this consists of two interconnecting rooms, one of which has had the bed and other sleeping parts removed and replaced with a table and chairs.

This is what you see when you walk in:

Immediately to the left is the first bathroom, which has been set up for multiple guests rather than an overnight stay although you can still use it to shower as normal:

Lovely thick paper towels are provided, rather than hand towels, as are pump-action Crabtree & Evelyn hand soap and hand cream dispensers:

The next room is the meeting room:

The bed and side tables have been removed, to be replaced by a large round table. It was set up for four, but you could probably fit six if necessary. Each place has a writing pad with Hilton-branded paper, a pen, a glass and still and sparkling water.

The sideboard has not been removed, and features extra glasses, multiple mugs and an increased number of tea and coffee sachets versus what you would get in a normal room.

The coffee machine is Miko branded, which is unfamiliar to me. It is a bit of an odd brand choice, to be honest. A kettle is provided in the sideboard drawers, together with the usual bits you would get in a standard room:

The meeting room is very large, although one thing I will mention is that it could do with a bit more light. Because it is a converted bedroom and the hotel doesn’t seem to have overhead lights you are reliant on the lamps in the room, which provide a great atmosphere for relaxing but aren’t particularly good for when you want to work and need something brighter.

From the meeting room side you then cross over into the sleeping side – technically a separate hotel room but open via the internal doors:

Here you’ll find another bathroom, this time with shower-over-bathtub combo. This bathroom is set up for personal use, with single use toiletries and the full complement of towels:

In the bedroom, you get a King-size bed, plus all the other bits you would expect. There is also a large wardrobe with safe, ironing board etc to the side.

It too has the sideboard, and another minibar:

Plus a discreet little row of sockets:

…. but there is more. What I didn’t realise is that this room – and this is a unique feature of this room and the bedrooms above it – is that there is another little adjoining room, which has been set up with a desk:

You get a surprising amount of floorspace in total.

My room on the first floor had a rubbish view of the housing block opposite, but you can’t have everything!

Lunch at Hilton London Bankside

When you book a WorkSpaces rate you save 15% on food and drinks in the hotel. This includes room service.

Whilst Hilton London Bankside does have a full restaurant called OXBO, it is currently serving a reduced menu in its Distillery bar.

As it was a nice sunny day I thought I would sit outside for lunch. You get some tasty nibbles whilst you order:

I went for the beef carpaccio to start:

Followed by the sea bass:

…. and finishing with the Valrhona chocolate delice:

Pool & Gym at Hilton London Bankside

Anyone staying on a WorkSpaces rate also gets use of the leisure facilities, in this case the pool and gym in the basement.

Due to covid the gym and changing rooms are still closed, and you must pre-book your slot and get changed in your room.

Here is the pool, which is a decent size for a central London hotel:

Conclusion

The Hilton London Bankside is quite unlike other Hiltons thanks to its design-led style. If it weren’t for the Hilton branding you might think you were at a different hotel entirely.

The king room with connecting meeting room starts at £157 for a day use booking. A standard day use room booking starts from £74. You can also book for longer stays. Check-in/out times remain the same regardless – so you get 9am check-in and 6pm check-out whether you stay one day or three.

If you need the space I would seriously consider booking here, particularly as it is far more trendy than your average business hotel and will give a good impression to any meeting guests. The location is also great if you want to combine work and play, with Tate Modern, St Pauls and the South Bank on your doorstep.

You can find out more, and book, on the Hilton London Bankside website here. To book a day rate, you simply select the same date for check-in and check-out on the booking page.

Thanks to Hilton for arranging my visit.

---

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)